May 28, 2018
Laundry boiler maintenance is a necessarily uncompromising job. Imagine a pressure vessel on a Melbourne high street, a back room setting that's always loaded with steam. On the outside, the laundromat operates like any other business. The staff do their job, clothes are cleaned, and the hiss of steam fades into the background. Only this is a potentially dangerous site. The boiler, pressurized as it is, won't last long without hourly maintenance.
Some equipment rooms just can't be left alone. Print rooms, laboratories, high-tech sanitation facilities and more, all of these places work 24/7, so they employ swing shifts. Much like those round-the-clock operations, laundry boilers are high-maintenance appliances. Expect the maintenance staff to suffer through many hourly chores. They test water quality, look for soft water, and finish by inspecting the low-water cutoff. Then, as the last maintenance check concludes, it's time to start all over again.
If the maintenance staff inside this Melbourne-based laundromat are cruising the aisles in this back room on the hour, where's the boiler inspector? Much like any other pressure vessel inspector, this individual doesn't show up for the hourly inspections, nor the daily checks or the weekly/monthly ones. No, the inspector obeys the ASME codes, so he's dispatched after a year of service, assuming no other problems have occurred over the course of that year. When that day arrives, the boiler chemist also shows up, for many aggressive chemicals are impacting the system. At this point, the entire equipment line is pulled out of service.
If a staff member was to peer through the acrylic curtain strips, there'd be plenty to see. The burner has been pulled. The assembly is literally sitting there, detached from the boiler. The boiler tech is swapping out high-tension electrode cables and replacing the burner nozzle. Elsewhere, the pressure vessel inspector is looking at the sheet metal welds and interior tube stack. Remember, aggressive chemicals and high temperatures are bad for laundry boilers, so the chemist/inspector duo must meticulously examine each and every component, vessel seam, and fitting. From the condensate line insulation to the mechanical integrity of the boiler lining, nothing escapes the seasoned eyes of that inspection team.
Intersecting hazards and situational issues make boiler inspection procedures in Melbourne, and any other metropolitan area, a highly arduous job. The equipment is surrounded by other commercial and industrial structures, plus all of the employees and visitors that occupy these buildings. Furthermore, abrasive chemicals abound, so the inspection matches pressure testing expertise against chemical analyzing mastery.
Fusion - Weld Engineering Pty Ltd
ABN 98 068 987619
1865 Frankston Flinders Road,
Hastings, VIC 3915
Ph: (03) 5909 8218
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